Definition of steatite Steatite

ste•a•tite

We found 6 definitions of steatite from 6 different sources.

What does steatite mean?

Noun
steatite - a soft heavy compact variety of talc having a soapy feel; used to make hearths and tabletops and ornaments
		soapstone, soaprock, soap-rock

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steatite (n.)
A massive variety of talc, of a grayish green or brown color. It forms extensive beds, and is quarried for fireplaces and for coarse utensils. Called also potstone, lard stone, and soapstone.

steatite
stē′a-tīt, n. soapstone, a compact or massive variety of talc, a hydrous silicate of magnesia, white or yellow, soft and greasy to the touch—used by tailors for marking cloth, and called Briançon Chalk, French Chalk, and Venice Talc.—adj. Stēatit′ic.—ns. Stēatī′tis, inflammation of the fatty tissue; Stē′atocele, a fatty tumour in the scrotum; Stēatō′ma, a fatty encysted tumour.—adj. Stēatom′atous.—n. Stēatop′yga, an accumulation of fat on the buttocks of the Bushmen women.—adj. Stēatop′ygous, fat-buttocked.—n. Stēatō′sis, fatty degeneration of an organ, as the heart. [Gr. steatitēs—stear, steatos, suet.]

Steatite or soapstone is a metamorphic rock. It has a large amount of the mineral talc.

Steatite is softer than most stones. Because steatite feels like soap, people call it "soapstone". People have been making things out of soapstone for thousands of years.

Steatite has been a major component of ceramics used as electrical component insulators for many years. It is easily formable into many shapes.